#oh you're only giving me human and elf options?

[eruscreaminginthedistance]

Despite my disappointment over the lack of choice and variation in character creation, Avowed does have one advantage:

I can easily start crafting my character now, without getting choice paralysis or having to see how a certain class/subclass will play before committing.

It definitely makes decision-making so much easier

[secretwhumplair]

Prologue: Mirai and the serpent king

494 words | Mirai and the serpent king

Content | Slavery, swearing, dehumanisation, implied past and future noncon, mention of cannibalism

Notes | I don't actually have much of a plot to this one. It'll come to me or it won't. I have (as you can see) decided to post all non-explicit parts here!

Mirai's fate is discussed by his current owners, a band of upstanding traders. All the options are bad but some are worse than others.

Taglist | @yet-another-heathen

"It was a goddamn mistake. Who the fuck is going to buy an elf that can't sing?"

"He's gorgeous though."

"Whatever. That doesn't make up for it. You've seen how folks try to lowball on him as soon as they hear his voice."

"Yes, and I think we've been right not to sell him at those rates! If it were a human, people wouldn't think twice about his voice as long as he knows how to shut up."

"Which he does."

"Yes, yes, you're very clever and all, now can you pull a buyer out of your hat who'll see it that way too?"

"There's still the serpent king down south."

Silence. Only the soft crackling of the fireplace could be heard, its warmth barely reaching where the slaves lay chained to the cart like so many dogs.

Mirai knew he should try to sleep, like the others; they would travel on towards the next market tomorrow, another long march for the slaves while the slavers could take turns riding on their mules, or resting in the cart carrying their other supplies. But he couldn't, not when his fate was being discussed so callously.

One of the slaver laughed out loud. "The serpent king! You're volunteering to travel through his domain, then?"

"They say he pays good money for pretty slaves to add to his harem. Really good."

"True, and he's practically a beast. I bet he doesn't even care for singing."

"Oh, great! Two volunteers to be strangled and eaten in the goddamn jungle!"

"Snakes can't be trusted. And anyway…"

"Oh, come on! What do you care what he does with the little elf as long as you get paid?"

"She's right! You know what, yes, actually. I'm volunteering to take the elf down there. 's long as I get half the money."

Incredulous laughter scattered into the night.

"We'll be in and out, bringing the king exactly what he wants. But given you guys are too chicken to do it, we should get hazard pay, no? Fifty percent for those who go, I say, and the rest for the company."

There was some more back and forth, but what mattered was that Mirai's fate was sealed. The stars up in the cold sky above blurred in his vision when this new terror sunk into his bones.

Mirai didn't know much about snake people - no one did, really, they were a secretive folk keeping to themselves. But there were stories, the sort of stories giving root to the slavers' fear: that they were cruel animals. That they ate other sentient races, and sometimes each other. That they delighted in the suffering of those weaker than them.

Of course, he had met men, elves, and plenty of others of whom the latter was true, too. But given all he knew, the odds of safety, of even a shred of comfort, of a kind master perhaps, were stacked against him more than ever before.

[sheyshen]

ok mostly full veilguard thoughts both good and bad, some spoilers sprinkled in but i'll try to stay vague where i can.

I give the game a thumbs up, so like, 8 or 9 out of 10 probably (i never know how to rate on a scale since i'm generally easy to please when it comes to games). i can see playing it again but it is a longer game so it might not be something i just go "hey yeah i'm gonna just go replay that really quick for kicks"

full thoughts under the cut:

to start out with I am a big fan of the lore, I did every quest every zone and had a lot of fun with it all, good and bad. tidbits about my rook since it does affect the story here and there and my thoughts on some things: Mateo is a transman, rogue, crow, elf, romanced lucanis, mainly did purple with a bit of blue options (much like my hawke)

starting with the good stuff:

-I loved the companions and how they interacted with each other and with the lighthouse itself. it made it feel very homey like the tempest in MEA, since they would move around and talk with one another. and that they could start relationships with other characters (even ones not in your team) it made it feel a bit more dynamic like these people are here with you not for you.

-I also enjoyed how they would have things to say that were to do with quests you completed or choices you'd made (kinda wish you could get them to trigger by stepping away and coming back even if it only works when they're solo. they do shift if you save and reload at least)

-I loved that you could canonly choose to be trans and it would have special options (like relating to lucanis and taash in different ways) and it makes me wonder what other options from the mirror open up in convos.

-I also loved that there were quite a few trans and NB characters who's VAs were also trans and NB. it was a really nice touch.

-the combat was fun, I do want to check out the other classes when i start a second playthrough (lets see if i'm strong enough to romance someone different cause i don't think i am! lol) and see what's different when playing someone who's cis or a human or a warden

-a lot of the controls were really familiar and easy to adjust to (aside from jump/climb being F instead of space, who decided that? do you know how many times i hit space expecting to jump and just slid instead??) so it was pretty smooth going from playing ffxvi to dav.

-the twists in the story were well executed and man did it make me cry in a few places. wish the one didn't lock you out of an entire vendor so early in but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i'll just keep that in mind for my second playthrough, i never expect the first to go completely smooth anyhow.

-I also loved seeing some familiar faces though i wish it was a bit... well. more complex than what we got. (i'll expand on that below) but what we had? oh it was nice.

-the environment felt very vast and I loved that there was a lot to explore and find. and plenty of cats to pet.

-I loved Lucanis's romance, and while I do wish there was more, I'm pretty happy with what we had and what I can build on through art and fics (already having some ideas percolating heheheh) but I also seem to end up picking the romances that are more off screen anyhow (looking at you Reyes)

-The companion quests were also all really well done and felt unique. I liked that they weren't all just combat quests and some were more relaxing. and that you can just meet up with them while you're working on something in that area if you didn't bring that specific companion with you.

-in the end i actually didn't mind only having two companions with you. it felt off here and there because it's been such a staple to have 3 in the series, but it worked out well enough same for not being able to control your party members (mind you i'm not someone who likes playing turn based (why i'm struggling with bg3) so i can see that bothering people who play like that) the only time not being able to control your team really bugged me is when i was trying to get some action shots for drawing refs. i'll keep trying with photo mode maybe i'll get lucky XD

-btw photo mode is awesome

-the final push felt a lot like the suicide mission at the end of ME2, that's mostly a compliment. I'm a completionist so i had everything maxed out and done when i got to it so I was ready to go but i wonder how bad things can go if you didn't since there's a whole room for the fallen.

-i loved the final slides (the last one in particular made me cry) and it reminded me of the line at the end of rvb season 14 about telling stories. and honestly i loved that

-the little references to things really tickled me. kalluzeb, kotor, and dungeon meshi to name a few. I'm going to be keeping my eye out for ones i missed now that i can safely dig through the tags.

-there's a ton more things i loved but they get a bit more spoilery than I'd like to get with this post!

-oh yea! and no fall damage is for sure an amazing thing. i jumped off so much stuff before i realized it won't break your legs.

and the things i didn't like so much:

-motion sickness leaking through my seabands wasn't great. i had all the settings for it adjusted but some effects would still trigger it, not as bad as some games but it was still there.

-where i loved how the companions interacted i also didn't like the fact it relied on you returning to the lighthouse after every single mission. there was a lot of stuff i likely missed because i was so wrapped up in doing side quests or wandering around in a certain area rather than going back after each thing and poking everyone.

-I also wished that they would interact with rook more. It felt like rook was checking in on them helping with their problems and being a shoulder to lean on but never the other way around. (aside from varric)

-the pacing on the story was awkward in places, and felt like you had to go out of your way to find side missions and interact with companions rather than it be a fluid experience. it can be a complicated thing to integrate especially if there's a lot of shifting things around internally leading up to the game being finished so it's not a killer for me but can be a bit of a pain.

-not being able to import anything from the previous games (except the 3 from dai) and many of the letters you receive from the quizzy definitely feel like they just kinda wanted to wipe the slate clean and start new and I have some real mixed feelings about that. I don't mind a soft reset but i think it could've been handled better

-I do wish that the cameos we had had some. slight. variation based on previous choices. (using isabella as a main example, i wish she could've had like the red favor if hawke romanced her or didn't mention learning about family in kirkwall if she bailed in act 2) there's a few cameos i think would've made sense to have and references that wouldn't've been too hard to include (vaea was mentioned so it would've been nice to hear about fenris, and with us being in weishaupt it would've been nice to have some sign of hawke since they were there, even an anders mention from isabella. seeing cullen at the final push with the inquisitor (or whoever not dorian or solas y'all romanced). little things without needing to hire extra VAs or anything)

-could use the ability to place waypoints on the map. and the ability to dye gear. it'd just be a nice to have, i'm sure there's mods rolling out already at least

-I do wish the conversation options were a bit more varied. yea i like playing a sarcastic and kind character but I wish there was a bit more of the option to kinda be mean. i mean rook's kinda gotten stuck with a job they weren't planning on ever having let them be rude now and then, as a treat.

-while i loved the romance (as mentioned above) i did miss the ability to get a little smooch or something like in previous games (which is something i miss in other games with romances as well so it's not a nock on dav itself but still something i wished we had gotten) and that they were a little bit. more. not like explicit, but i would've liked a little kiss for good luck before the final battle kinda thing like they have in DA2

-The "virmire" situation felt... off to me, like it was done for shock value rather than a meaningful moment (similar to what happened with torian and vette) and that it was kinda out of the blue rather than something that made sense narratively.

-without spoiling anything major there were a few lore explanations I felt were a bit. unnecessary or could've been done better or expanded on better, or changes that felt a little strange to do that could've been better explained (like the crows)

that's kinda it for things that bugged me. nothing that would make me hate the game but little things that made me go >.> lol

One small hope I have is that they patch in a citadel dlc type of thing, something that has no impact on the story itself but is just kinda fun with your companions. have a little party at the lighthouse right before the final push like in ME3 >:3

There's a "secret" ending after the credits and a few things brought up throughout the game that make me curious where they'll go with the next game.

All in all i thought the game was really great and I can't wait to see my friends sharing their rooks and art and screenshots and stuff!

[unhingedwomandiaries]

Want my old job back? Do I look like I've had a complete mental breakdown? What kind of absolute melon would willingly skip back into that beige purgatory of back-stabbing middle managers whose main talent seems to be pissing all over everyone else's parade?

My ex-"colleagues" (and yeah, those air quotes are doing heavy lifting) had all the moral fiber of a pound shop chocolate bar left in the sun. They're the sort who'd see you drowning and chuck you a concrete life ring, then toddle off to the break room to spread rumors about how Sharon from Accounts is definitely having it off with the coffee machine repair bloke.

And don't get me started on the managers – those brown-nosing berks in their TK Maxx suits hanging crooked like they got dressed in the dark. Just because they've memorized some LinkedIn posts about "maximizing human capital" doesn't give them license to treat us peasants like we're some forgotten Tamagotchi from the '90s. Have a word with yourself, mate.

But here's the kicker – apparently I'm the problem! According to my ex-mate (whose opinion I now value about as much as a broken kettle), I should've known my place. Sure, everyone who got promoted spent half their life having smoke breaks, but they had fancy degrees, didn't they? Meanwhile, there's me, stuck doing SAP programming like some digital house elf, because apparently my Bachelor's degree might as well have been printed on loo roll.

Oh, and get this – I'm "antisocial" because I didn't fancy spending my evenings in some grotty Wetherspoons, pretending to care about x from IT's latest DIY disaster. Sorry I didn't want to watch you lot get plastered on cheap pinot grigio while moaning about your kids! And apparently, my crime of actually caring about the clients and doing more than the bare minimum was some sort of cardinal sin. Heaven forbid someone actually takes pride in their work!

They reckon I was "overpaid" for my "mid-level work" – rich coming from a bunch who couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery without forming three committees and a focus group first. And now they've got some poor sod doing my job for peanuts, probably making them turn their camera off during Zoom calls so no one can see them crying into their Pot Noodle.

But here's the best bit – I'm "welcome to apply" for my old job back! Yeah, and I'm welcome to stick my head in a woodchipper, but surprisingly, neither option appeals. They suggested that next time (ha!) I should "have a better personality" and "be a team player outside of work." Because apparently, being good at your job means nothing if you're not down the pub every Thursday, participating in the office's unofficial drinking Olympics.

Stick in the mud, am I? Well, I'd rather be stuck in mud than floating in whatever cesspit of corporate backstabbing they're swimming in. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to write an angry letter to Walkers about their pathetic excuse for crisp packet sealing. At least that'll be more productive than another bloomin' team building exercise.

P.S. If anyone from my old work is reading this – yes, the "chit-chat area" of the work chat was still inappropriate, you absolute muppets. Just because you label the bin "optional toxic waste" doesn't make it okay to dump nuclear materials in it, does it?

P.P.S. Here's word for word what my old boss actually said about me in a work Whatsapp group, "She's so ugly. There’s some stuff that needs to be said.

She was valued in her position. However, what she always fails to mention is that everyone who got promoted NEEDED to be. Her role was purely programming and project management-based, she was the only person doing her job and had nothing really to do with the role of the other 17 members of the team. It didn’t make sense to promote her in the way those others were promoted. She didn't know half of what those employees do, but claims she did (a lie). Yes, those people smoked, but she was also entitled to breaks. It was brought up by her manager (me); and she just never took them. Also, 4 hours smoke break is an exaggeration, x. The MD of the company wouldn't allow employees to take the mick with smoke breaks—she knows that and you should too, x. They also were vastly more experienced in the job, had knowledge, and were able to communicate with everyone both in their team and the wider company. Those people who got promotions, yes, they weren't perfect people, but they knew their stuff and were approachable. They were my friends and they went to the pub every week with us as a team. They went above and beyond outside of work. She never went out once with us. She's not a team player. I don't even think she can drink more than one beer.

Yes, there were times where they'd have fun and have jokes because being part of a team includes getting along with the people you work with. Sorry if she thought those jokes were inappropriate. She needs to get a grip and loosen up. Uptight American is what she is. When work needed to get done, it got done. That's why the company that paid her wages approved the promotions. It wasn’t just an internal thing.

She was also overpaid for the job role she did, and the company that ultimately paid her wouldn't put out more money because they didn’t want to. That sucks, yes. No need to moan about it. Moaning insinuates that she is slating us. That's lawyer up time and she knows that so she should shut her mouth.

She's more than welcome to apply for your job back, or even any other role, but maybe next time be the bigger person."

[casspurrjoybell-22]

Master - Chapter 5a

*Warning: Adult Content*  

"I don't quite understand why you're pulling me since I'm following you freely," Malcolm whines, protesting against my firm grip on his arm while I pull him away from the Elf's prying ears. "I know how to walk Linc."

"Malcolm," I say with a sigh of exhaustion which only makes him huff a little before falling into a comfortable silence.

I pull him into a forgotten room which once was an office, a room Malcolm never really used, even in the height of his fame amongst the humans. 

I shut the doors behind us and follow Malcolm into the webbed room, standing over him while he sat on a small cushion within the window seal.

"Alright, what is it?" Malcolm says, gesturing lazily for me to begin while crossing his legs.

"Diablos sent about fifty men and women to my castle, to take Kalem back," I explain and frown slightly when he barely reacts, eyes only widening a small fraction.

"Oh," he says, soundly mildly surprised.

"You're not surprised," I state and he nods. "Did you know he was coming?"

"No, I haven't spoken to Diablos in centuries," he says waving me off. "But I did expect as much to happen eventually. You took one of his slaves, his most valuable of the night in front of a sector of the community. I take it, word has spread and he is facing harsh criticism for being so vulnerable and weak. Retaliating is the only option in a position like that."

"It's hard to remember how idiotic you truly are when you actually use your brain on rare occasions such as these," I admit after listening to his explanation.

I'd never really gotten along with my own kind, didn't understand their ways of thinking but Malcolm was different because he wasn't like them. 

He didn't want what the other vampires wanted, well not in the same form that their needs took. 

It was one of the reasons he understood me better than most, that and he was annoyingly persistent in trying to become my friend for four decades straight.

"He knew they wouldn't succeed, knew he was sending his people to their deaths," Malcolm continues, ignoring my comment. "It was probably a warning if nothing else."

"There was a letter, the last one standing handed it to me before pulling his own heart out," I reveal and smile a little at the way Malcolm grimaced. "He wants me to give Kalem back and if I do not comply, he's threatening to start a war."

"Are you going to comply?" Malcolm asks, knowing damn well how even hinting at me to fall under Diablos' demands only urged me to do the complete opposite.

"Kalem isn't something to just give and take, he is a person," I grind out, using words all too similar to the ones I'd only just spoken to Kalem earlier today.

"Says the man who literally stole him away," Malcolm mumbles in response, continuing before I could argue. "I'd say the simple solution is to just give the man the fee which you owe."

"I am not going to pay for him and treat him like a slave."

"So you'd rather keep your pride than appease the fucker with what is probably spare change to you? Hmm?" Malcolm questions, standing to look me in my eyes with serious intent. "You'd rather let the boy suffer through blood and deaths for an unknown length of time, so you don't have to go against your unwavering values?"

An uncomfortable quiet falls between us as Malcolm pierces me with his gaze, showing no remorse for his words. 

I lock my jaw, letting my teeth grind together to keep me steady.

"I am not going to support these disgusting practices in any way," I grind out slowly. "I will not do that to myself or to Kalem."

Malcolm stares at me, eyes narrowing his eyes to decrypting slits before his stance loosens and he flops back onto his cushion. 

He rests his head against the peeling wall paint and crosses his legs.

"So what's the plan and my exact role in it?" Malcolm asks, defeated and utterly onboard despite his fruitless protests.

"I'm going to kill him," I say simply and Malcolm only laughs. "He won't stop until he's made an example out of me, which could never happen, so I must kill him."

"Don't make it sound like such a chore, we both know how long you've wanted to rip the bastards head from his body," Malcolm replies with a deep grin. "And how long I've wanted to watch."

‘And this is why you're my best friend.’

"Although, knowing Diablos, he's probably prepared for an attack on some sort," Malcolm offers while thinking deeply. "By the time we cut through his barricades, he'd be behind yet another."

"I need him to face me, need to draw him out of his little hiding spots," I agree, trying to remember pieces of the man I'd long broken apart from my memories.

"I'll think of something, reach out to a few contacts and make the necessary preparations," Malcolm says while letting one of his legs jump a little.

"Thank you, Malcom."

"Think of this as my form of repayment for Arias," he says hopefully, in reference to the one million he sent flying out of the fucking window.

"Think of this as a favor, you still owe me one million," I deadpan and smirk at the childish groan he releases with a disappointed thump of his foot.

"Okay, whatever. Be a pellagric," he grumbles angrily. "While I'm performing my 'favor' you bring down all his little strongholds we know about. Corner him to act out of anger rather than intelligence."

"Sounds good."

[bookwyrminspiration]

Wait. How do the elves know when animals are birthed into the world as well? Like- there's wildlife in areas that the elves could never track. So to add onto your question, how're prattles pins made?

What the fuck even makes a prattles pin?

An elf is technically an animal right? Or do they not count because of intelligent species?

Are there human prattles pins?

Quil come back you can't just ask a question and give me more questions. /lh /t

Nonsie I have asked these exact questions before!! Tumblr's tagging system is such that I actually used google to find it, but here's the post! The whole prattle pin thing is like Shannon went "hey here's this cool bit of elven culture" and we all went how???

For example, the alicorns were once a thriving species, but the elves only ever found one. Greyfell stumbled into their lives, one of the last of their species. One of two we've seen in the wild. Both of them existed entirely without the elves awareness!! So whose to say there aren't more? Whose to say there aren't other entirely undiscovered species? Whose to say there aren't species that went extinct before the elves could save them?

And how are the pins made!! Calla said that she had a friend--hang on let me find the quote actually. It's in Neverseen when they first get to the neverseen hideout and Calla comes to give Sophie her box thing with the necklace. "i have a friend who works at the Prattle's bakery, and I'd heard that a baby moonlark hatched recently. I asked her to save me the box with the new pin" (pg 117, paperback). So there's a bakery where prattles are made, staffed apparently by gnomes. Is this like an industrial bakery? Because elves consume a lot of prattles pins.

And apparently the odds of getting rare pins is skewed because you can request certain boxes be set aside for you. Which is very unfair to the rest of the population but I don't even think they now it's happening. Because I think Sophie's the only person whose been communicated with using the pins (the black swan used them in book one). Didn't they legit give her an alicorn pin once...like my dude that is so unfair to everyone else and also how?? the fuck??? did they get it??

So the candy is made in the bakery, but who knows where the pins come from!! Maybe it's a job given to the working class, and the materials are gathered by the dwarves. Or maybe technopaths have something to do with it, but it doesn't seem techy enough for them.

Also also!! I don't think there are elf pins because they don't consider themselves animals, but someone asked that same question with the human thing!! let me see if I can find it. Okay here it is!! You can look through the notes to see other comments on that. I think realistically humans being an option for prattles pins would be a nightmare. How would they keep track of the population? the births and deaths and how many there are. it's be super super super hard to get any other pin if it was just humans. Like oh yeah just 89 pins out of the several billion common animals and humans are this other species. Sorry to all elves trying to collect pins you're just gonna end up collecting humans.

"Quil come back you can't just ask a question and give me more questions" haha!! except I can! now you get to experience what you all do to me sometimes!! /t people will say something and 700 words later I still have questions.

but also I will come back because I love to talk and can't resist answering questions. and i agree with you entirely I'm sparking more and more questions for myself. Every post I make just digs deeper into the technicalities of the series and at this point I'm just. I'm a permanent fixture here in the fandom.

sometimes I just want to sit down with shannon and ask her a million very specific worldbuilding questions that will have no impact on the actual story. Like garbage collection? how did the elves save all the dinosaurs? does money have any value? why aren't the elves birthdays in the registry files? have elves ever tasted spice? are elves born with teeth or are they unnecessary to speak their language?

prattles pins were so clearly meant to be this fun detail of the world to give the elves culture and to help introduce sophie to their world and we all went what the fuck is this?? sorry shannon. but also if you didn't want us to ask questions maybe you should've made it make sense